Sky Deutschland sees pirates condemned

Sky Deutschland has secured a victory in its battle against piracy with the conviction of two German citizens for illegal live-streaming of Bundesliga German football transmissions in 2014.

The Tauberbischofsheim, Baden-Württemberg court sennced a 28 year-old defendant from the state to one year in prison for five copyright infringements while another 28 year-old from Saxony received a fine in lieu of 90 days.

Sky said it had identified the pair thanks to its own investigations before passing the information to the police.

Sky Deutschland head of anti-piracy and technology Thomas Stahn said that the verdict vindicated its strategy of continuously and consistently tracking illegal streaming. He said the penalities imposed sent an important signal that copyright infringement could lead to imprisonment or substantial fines.